2019 A Year in Review
December marks the end of the calendar year, a time to pause and reflect on the months that have passed and to plan for the year ahead. Our BridgeTO team and community have so much to be proud of! Having attended business launches, speed mentoring seminars, C-level panel discussions, tech hackathons, STEM leadership events and even being honored at awards galas. Our youth have gained a tremendous appreciation for the skills needed to succeed from the best in the biz.
A big thank you to all of our partners that helped make this happen.
BridgeTO began as a small group of individuals offering free tutoring services to a few kids in under-resourced communities, and after a period of reimagining (and paperwork) adopted a broader vision to become a not for profit currently serving 50 youth in under-served communities of Toronto.
Our approach is simple, we are driven individuals that want to see youth from our communities succeed beyond the labels of their postal code and barriers placed on them due to low income and minority backgrounds. As young adults who have overcome multiple barriers, we understand the importance of guidance, mentorship and financial aid at a young age.
BridgeTO Youth
BridgeTO offers internal events, such as speed mentoring and career guidance events, in addition to consistently providing tutoring 3 days a week. We ensure that we offer tutoring at convenient locations and timings to our youth, by providing a safe space to learn immediately after school. All of our efforts are volunteer driven; our tutors are illustrious professionals in their own fields who are passionate about the cause. They have modified their busy schedules in order to ensure they can provide a service that is impactful for our youth.
BridgeTO Youth has also had the incredible opportunity to pair up with mentors; mentors that have offered up priceless knowledge, perspective, and funny stories in guiding their mentees. This is especially important as the communities we serve do not get this integral exposure to professionals. Our ambitious and driven youth have had the rare opportunity to develop a relationship with distinguished professionals from a variety of industries.
We have been fortunate enough to partner with multiple organizations in the last 4 months including Roche, PwC, MAX, CAUFP, RBC, Elevate, and Naseeha Youth Helpline.
These events have served to offer new ideas and new ways to grow our impact through collaboration. We have learned tools to help shape our movement for the betterment of our youths’ futures after secondary school in resource lacking communities.
MAX
BridgeTO has had the opportunity to partner with MAX multiple times over the last four months; our youth attended an event exploring career options, where they met professionals from a variety of industries.
We also had the privilege to attend the annual MAX Scholarship reception and Gala event; these events were eye-opening and served to showcase many inspiring paths to success. Many of the winners of the MAX Scholarships have excelled in academic and achieved outstanding contributions in their communities.
One of the highlights of our year was attending the launch of MAX Business; not only did we have the opportunity to hear from leaders in the corporate business world but we challenged these leaders with our thought provoking ideas.
Roche Canada
On December 12, 2019, Roche Canada piloted their STEM initiative with BridgeTO Youth. This was a full day event running on-site workshops for our youth, introducing them to the concepts of Lean Production System (LPS) and Quality Risk Management (QRM). The aim was to work with students to develop skills that will help them become innovative thinkers and problem solvers. With the help of 21 full-time Roche Canada staff, they were able to provide a jam packed agenda with engaging activities. The youth were challenged to develop a solution for a Pharma Technical Operation problem in which the winning team was awarded $1,200.
PwC
We hosted a discussion at the PwC office and discussed the importance of financial management for life progression with three PwC partners.
It is important to note that the events highlighted above are only a fraction of what our partners have generously and graciously collaborated with us on this year. 2019 has been so bright for BridgeTO Youth we cannot wait to see what 2020 has in store for us! We look forward to partnering with even more organizations who want to bridge the gap to success for our youth. If you feel that your organization is interested in partnering with us please feel welcome to connect with us. You create opportunities to impact youth while engaging your employees with local communities. You activate the process of permanent, positive change while connecting your brand to a unique nonprofit that is working towards bridging the gap to success.
Together, we can bridge the gap to education and financial stability for all youth.